With Arsenal, everything has come together wonderfully, and most of the recent additions have been thundering swoops that have been essential in the development of a now-imperial team that contends for the Premier League championship.
Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard, two offensive standouts who now play crucial roles in head coach Mikel Arteta’s flexible system, are two standout instances of the Arsenal hierarchy’s cunning moves.
The Brazilian center-back Gabriel Magalhaes, who moved to north London from French Ligue 1 club LOSC Lille for approximately £23 million in 2020, is another acquisition that has come together with conviction and authority over the past few years. Despite a shaky start to his Premier League career, Magalhaes now partners with Frenchman William Saliba as one of the division’s premier defensive partnerships.
Although being only 25 years old, the enforcer has had a significant influence on this Arsenal squad this season and may go down in history as one of the greatest players in the history of English football.
Has Edu had success with Gabriel?
Gabriel has made 103 appearances for the Gunners and scored ten goals, an excellent total for a central defender. Kevin Campbell dubbed Gabriel a “rock” for his unrelenting power and tenacity in the defensive third.
With his cutting-edge skill set, he has participated in 33 matches this season across all competitions and started all 25 Premier League games for his team, which has the second-best defensive record in the league (behind only Newcastle United).
He is currently valued at £62 million, which, according to CIES Football Observatory, is over three times the sum that was spent to get the player to the Emirates in the first place. This proves that the club struck gold with him.
Such a tall amount is very astonishing, especially when compared to other well-known center-backs in England; the 31-year-old Goliath Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool is valued at £44 million, while Ruben Dias of Manchester City is worth £88 million.
According to FBref, Gabriel ranks in the top 13% of center backs for non-penalty goals per 90 in the top five leagues in Europe and in European competition over the past year. His offensive precision and well-rounded game are crucial in giving Arsenal a new dimension to help in their relentless pursuit of the league championship.
The former Brazil U23 titan, who earns £50k per week, has a 7.05 average league rating on Sofascore, which is a testament to his assurance and composure. Connor Humm even called the former Brazil U23 titan “on another level” for his exceptional 89% pass success rate and 3.3 clearances per game, which are crucial in thwarting the opposition’s unwanted advances.
Arsenal would recover a huge sum that exceeds what was spent to sign the player from his previous team if they were to sell their prodigy any time soon, which is admittedly a highly improbable scenario.
Yet, his present worth serves as a nice reminder of the cunning deal that was made to secure the commitment of an ace who is now prominent among the brilliant crop of Europe’s top center-backs.
